Vanderbilt Divinity community breakfast to focus on Mexico border

Vanderbilt Divinity students are among those carrying crosses during a migrant vigil near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Sonoran region. (Alba Onofrio, master of divinity student)

Vanderbilt Divinity School students will share reflections on their May trip to the United States-Mexico border at a Sept. 25 community breakfast.

“Traversing Our National Wound: Reflections from the U.S.-Mexico Border” will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Vanderbilt Divinity School Reading Room.

One of the goals of the trip to the Sonoran region was to enable the students to immerse themselves in the realities of the border for a short period of time. The discussion will be led by Viki Matson, director of field education and assistant professor of the practice of ministry, and Amy Elizabeth Steele, assistant dean for student life.

“We encountered many ‘texts’ for this course, including first-person stories of people who had crossed the border, people who were caught or turned away, and those hoping to cross,” Matson said. “We spoke with humanitarian organizations, immigration advocates, border patrol officers, public defenders, religious leaders and other activists. We even encountered the harsh desert terrain in a profound way.”

Steele said that students will discuss their theological reflection on the personal, legal and economic realities associated with immigration from Mexico and demonstrate ongoing strategies for communicating about this complex issue with other constituencies, especially people of faith.

The cost of the breakfast is $10. To register, please call 615- 936-8453 or sign up online.